They met as part of a boxing evening in the United States. Kovalev was considered the favorite of this fight, and he was close to winning - in the fourth round, the Russian made a series of powerful blows, after which Alvarez did not fall only by a miracle. In the next two three minutes, Kovalev's advantage was also obvious.

However, in the seventh round, the situation changed radically. Sergei missed several punches and was knocked down. He managed to get up, but only to be back on the canvas. And the second time the referee did not stop the fight, but after the third knockdown the fight ended - Kovalev lost. This defeat was his third in his career with 33 victories, of which he won 28 by knockout.

After the fight, Kovalev posted a video on his Instagram in which he thanked the fans for their support, apologized to them for this failure, and also said that everything was fine with him. He also hinted at an imminent retirement: "Apparently, it's time to hang up the gloves." However, Sergei also noted that he does not intend to make hasty conclusions from the defeat.

However, it is possible that soon Kovalev will indeed leave boxing. His coach Abror Tursunpulatov believes that Sergei should end his career. He also blames himself for his charge's failure.

“I would like him to end his career. He is no longer in health like a young athlete. He did his job. He had several belts. He wrote down his name in history. Such a fate. And the opponent also deserved the right to become a world champion. Alvarez worked for many years. If Sergei had not missed one blow, everything would have turned out differently, and the victory would have been on our side, - quotes Tursunpulatov's words "Soviet sport." - Sergei hit with good blows. Alvarez endured. Maybe we somewhere "sorted out. And my fault in this defeat too. I blame myself for this defeat. Probably, I prepared my boxer incorrectly. And for me this is a great experience, although we did not do any experiments. All the work was done according to plan. ".

On this evening of boxing, a fight took place with the participation of another Russian. Dmitry Bivol defeated Malawian Isaac Chilemba by unanimous decision - 120: 108, 120: 108, 116: 112 - and retained the WBA title. Bivol's manager Vadim Kornilov stressed that Dmitry is ready for unification battles and, most likely, will hold his next fight before the end of the year. It is possible that Alvarez will become his rival.

“Of course, Dmitry will hold the next fight before the end of the year, - TASS quotes Kornilov. - He is ready for unification battles, after the fight we will look at the opponent. rounds as planned. "

Abror Tursunpulatov: Kovalev's defeat is my fault

Abror Tursunpulatov, coach of Russian boxer Sergei Kovalev, spoke about the reasons for the defeat from Colombian Elider Alvarez.

Literally thirty minutes passed after the battle, when the message “Call your brother if you have any questions” came to the phone. The author of the message was the coach of Sergei Kovalev.

There were enough questions after the defeat of the Russian, so a minute later the conversation began.

I am very upset, - says Tursunpulatov. “Well, you can't always win. We lost today. Nothing can already be changed.

Articles | Gloves on a nail? Alvarez defeated Kovalev

- In what condition is Sergey?
- He is also upset, but has already come to his senses. Says that maybe his time has already passed. In training, he, of course, worked responsibly. And I said that if Sergei does not get tired, he will win the fight. And he was defeating Alvarez.

He hit his opponent very tightly several times, but could not finish the fight ahead of schedule. Alvarez's head remained fresh.

- Why did you give Kovalev an installation to rest after a successful fourth round?
- I know Seryoga well. As I said, Alvarez's head remained "fresh" even after missed punches. He finished the round normally, and I know Sergei's condition. He could give too much strength. We had an “attack-attack” setup, and if the opponent was not broken, “stop”. You need to "let go", re-gather strength and start over.

Two weeks ago you said that Kovalev was almost in perfect physical shape. He has only five extra pounds, although earlier in this period he was eight. But you added that everything can be ruined in the last days ...
- Everything was good with us. When I worked with him on the "paws", I felt that the blows are fast and biting. He was in good condition. If he could say earlier that he was tired after the second round, now this was not the case.

The thing is that he missed a quick blow. You yourself understand what one hit is in this weight. If he had not missed this blow, or had missed, but then returned to the corner for a break, we would have taken this into account, and from the next round he would have come to his senses. And he continued to outplay his opponent.

When Kovalev was knocked down for the first time, his first thought was: "Knit, clinch, avoid a fight, play for time." And Sergei went ahead ...
- The problem is that after the first knockdown Serega did not come to his senses. He didn't know what he was doing. He did not go forward, he did something automatically. When he missed this blow, I immediately shouted to him: "Sit still." It would be better if he sat down to the count of "eight" and came to his senses. Instead, he stood up abruptly. This is very bad, but it is difficult to control yourself when you are knocked down. It's wrong to blame him. He lost control. I was hoping that the round would be over in time.

- What thoughts does he now have about continuing his career?
- I would like him to end his career. His health is no longer like that of a young athlete. He did his job. He had several belts. He wrote down his name in history. Such a fate. And the opponent also earned the right to become the world champion. Alvarez has worked for many years. If Sergei had not missed one hit, everything would have turned out differently, and victory would have been on our side.

Elider Alvarez shocked Sergei Kovalev (and the whole world of boxing). Andre Berto def. Devon Alexander via split decision. And Dmitry Bivol did not look very convincing in a fight with a strong opponent.

But let's take a closer look at how those fights went so we don't miss out on some of the biggest boxing news over the past weekend.

What I liked. Well, we have a new potential light heavyweight superstar, and the name of this star is Elider Alvarez aka "Storm." He entered the battle not as a favorite (having put a hundred on him, you could win $ 400), but in the seventh round the Colombian dealt a powerful blow to Kovalev and then knocked him out. Alvarez spent several years waiting for the mandatory fight for the belt of Adonis Stevenson. After some time, he decided not to wait, but to focus on Kovalev's belt at light heavyweight. Despite the fact that there are few knockouts on account of Alvarez, he knows how to beat, and hits hard. Ask Kovalev.

What I didn't like. Since Kovalev is 35 years old, the question should be asked whether he can still perform in the light heavyweight elite, making a good impression. After two losses to Andre Ward (both were controversial in their own way), many questions arise for Kovalev as to whether he is still the best fighter in this division. Kovalev's last two fights, in which he scored impressive victories over inexpressive opponents, instilled in boxing fans a false sense of security. If at the moment Kovalev was fighting Dmitry Bivol or Alexander Gvozdik, he would look like a whipping boy.

Context

Kovalev-Ward match: it's not about corruption

Bernard Hopkins' future is in doubt

10 best punchers in the world of boxing

What does it mean. Before the fights, a lot of people talked that Kovalev and Bivol would win, and then come together in a duel for the title. Now this will not happen. But even if they started to fight, it would be worth a little. But Kovalev can take revenge by repeating the fight with Alvarez (the contract stipulates such a revenge). And since most of the fight he looked quite confident and comfortable, and was ahead of Alvarez on points until the fight was stopped, it is possible that Kovalev will try to use a second chance.

Other notable fights

For the second time in a row, fortune (in terms of points) was not on the side of Devon Alexander (27-5-1), as Andre Berto (32-5, 24 KOs) came out of the knockdown received at the beginning of the fight and did enough to the end to win by split decision. Two judges gave the victory to Berto (115-112), and one decided that Alexander should win (114-113). In the previous match, Alexander, who was on the title page in two weight categories, seemed to have won over Viktor Ortiz, but the judges decided that there should be a draw. "I didn't fight for a while, but I felt very good there," Berto said on the Boxing Scene website. Welterweight is a broad category, and even after Saturday's win, Berto is unlikely to be the favorite against any of the top ten fighters.

Dmitry Bivol (14-0, 11 KOs) confidently defeated Isaac Chilemba (25-6-2), and if not for the dubious count of one referee, Chilemba would not even have come close to him on points. But Bivol failed to win the fans' sympathy. He just did enough to defeat a solid fighter like Chilemba, but nothing more. But you remember that in 2016 Kovalev also looked rather ordinary against the background of Chilemba, and therefore it is quite possible that Bivol was simply trying to win, not thinking about the effect produced on the audience. This fight can hardly be called a demonstration of all Bivol's talents and his prospects in his category.

Although at the beginning of the fight the number of knockout victories for young featherweight Tevin Farmer (26-4-1, 5 KOs) was only 16.7%, he knocked down Billy Deeb (43-5), and eventually won a convincing victory, winning his first world title. One of Farmer's possible rivals could be Gervonta Davis, who is one of the best boxers in the second featherweight division.

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign mass media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial board.

As you know, the Russian heavyweight Sergey Kovalev lost to Colombian Eleider Alvarez by technical knockout in the seventh round and lost the WBO world title.

About the reasons for the defeat - Valery Sizonenko, editor-in-chief of the online edition "Boxing. Drummers":

The first reason for the defeat: the incorrect distribution of fuel for the entire battle is the weakest point for Sergei Kovalev.

The second reason: the coach.

The coach, the second in the corner, should be, first of all, a psychologist and strategist, and only then be able to hold his paws and remind the student of the basics of boxing. Unfortunately, Kovalev was unlucky with coaches, physical education instructors, and at this level there should be an appropriate coach, otherwise, sooner or later, you will be calculated, which happened to Sergei Kovalev.

The chronic cause of Kovalev's defeat is spiritual. "I know everything", "I can do everything"! With such arrogance, sooner or later they will overtake you, and you will forget how to do what you knew how to do before. Professional growth stops, and sooner or later old baggage will become scarce.

And now this arrogance turns into problems with psychology. A proud person cannot admit that he was wrong; accordingly, he puts himself in a hostage situation. He receives an additional burden of responsibility, and also deprives himself of the opportunity to maneuver, because he cannot go against his ego.

After the second defeat of Kovalev, coach Andre Ward He offered that joint work: the specialist who calculated Kovalev, imprisoned Andre Ward for it and made him win.

Did Kovalev take this chance to start working with a high-class coach who can take you to a new level? No. Why? Yes, because pride did not allow it to be done. Because Kovalev was unable to accept these defeats and analyze them. And in battle, when a fighter with a broken and uncorrected psychology misses a blow and finds himself in a difficult situation, his first thoughts are: "Again"? "Again"? "What to do"?

What did Ward do when he was knocked down by Kovalev? He conjured up, waited out and turned the tide of the battle.

What did Kovalev do when he found himself in a similar situation with Alvarez?
Go to exchange! This is a deadly mistake! You missed a blow, you have a mess in your head, your reflexes are broken, you lose speed and power, you have no advantage in exchange, this is an unjustified risk! This is the mistake of a beginner in the professional ring: he missed, and went "pan-or-go", with a 90% probability of losing by knockout.

Did Alvarez end Crusher's career?
The only question is for Kovalev. If he is ready to kill pride in himself, endure mental suffering and personal shame, find inner humility, he should turn to people who can revive him for help, and add to this a mixture of his steel character, show patience, and great diligence. Crasher can reboot and return with a new version of itself. Or it may just swell, healing mental trauma. The choice is only his.

Perhaps return at 35 after such a defeat?

Of course. Nothing is impossible as long as we are alive, as long as there is health and desire!

Bernard Hopkins, whom Kovalev admired as his best opponent, gave boxing lessons to his younger colleagues at the age of 46. Why? Because Hopkins, like Andre Ward, is a thinking and hardworking boxer! And that's exactly what you need to learn from them! Think! And not on emotions to make decisions and act.

I wish Kovalev to draw the right conclusions. And remember the words he said Murat Gassiev after his recent defeat: "Sometimes you have to take a step back in order to make two forward!"

How it was.

Kovalev - Ward. War

Talk about the dubiousness of the American's victory in the first battle did not subside until the very revenge. Then, in November 2016, Kovalev and Ward spent all 12 rounds in the ring. Undefeated at that time, the Crusher clearly dominated the fight, once knocked down an American. However, it was not possible to win ahead of schedule, and it came to the judge's decision.

Whether the factor of home refereeing worked (this fight, like the rematch, took place in the USA), or Ward really counterattacked so effectively, but the three judges unanimously awarded the victory to the American - 114: 113. You can agree or disagree with this outcome, but it is pointless to deny Ward's highest class. Kovalev demanded revenge almost immediately, and although Ward's team ruined the Russian’s nerves, they did not refuse to negotiate, even despite the fact that from the point of view of business, the first fight was not a success.

Before the fight, Kovalev talked a lot about his opponent, recalled the previous fight, promised to knock out Ward and end his career. The American responded accordingly. The hostility between the boxers arose even before the November fight, and since then it has only intensified. Still - Kovalev was dissatisfied with the unjust, in his opinion, decision of the judges, and Ward believed that the judges stole some of his well-deserved fame.

The rematch took place in Las Vegas in the presence of 10.5 thousand spectators. At stake are the well-known championship belts of the World Boxing Association (WBA), the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in light heavyweight (up to 79.4 kilograms).

Kovalev immediately began to work as number one, forcing Ward to defend himself. But it is even easier for such a master of defense to act against the opponent. In the first fight, the Russian also went ahead, but did not extract big dividends from this.

In the second and third rounds, the picture has not changed. In the second three minutes, Ward hit Kovalev below the belt for the first time. The referee warned the American and the fight continued. The Russian was advancing, his opponent defended. It was alarming that in terms of tactics, Sergei did not learn from the first fight. He still made little use of his height advantage, and when he got closer, Ward immediately knitted him in the clinch.

In the clinch, both acted rather dirty, once they clashed their heads, but in war, as you know, all means are good. And this was precisely the war. In the fourth round, the referee urged Kovalev and Ward to act cleaner, but they did not think to listen to him. At the same time, the Russian got hooked physically, and the American unconditionally won the round for the first time.

In subsequent rounds, Ward's advantage grew. Kovalev was tired, often dropped his hands and missed blows to the head and body. The famous jab of the Russian hardly worked, and attempts to get the opponent with twos were mostly unsuccessful. Kovalev occasionally responded with successful actions. In the seventh round, Ward again marked with a blow below the belt.

In the eighth round, the fight ended. Kovalev missed the strongest right Ward and staggered, but stayed on his feet. The American rushed to finish off the opponent with punches to the body, most of which fell in the belt area. The Russian bent over, and after another series of the American the battle was stopped. The referee felt that Ward was acting within the rules. However, when you watch the replay, you can see that he was striking below the belt.

Was it low? # wardkovalev2 @andresogward @sergeykrusherkovalev

Kovalev suffered the second defeat in his career, losing early for the first time. The 34-year-old Russian has 30 victories and one draw to his credit. The 33-year-old Ward won 32nd (16th by KO) in 32 bouts.

"It's a shame"

Kovalev's team has already announced that it intends to protest the results of the battle. “We will ask the commission to review replays with blows to the Russian from below the belt. It's a shame. Kovalev will fight the next fight in the fall. He is okay. The referee did not do his job. Ward deliberately landed several low blows, and he was not punished for it. The referee forced Sergei to continue the fight after a few dirty kicks, ”said Kovalev's promoter Katie Duva.

Kovalev's future is now in question. The promoter promises that he will have the next fight in the fall, but his opponent will clearly not be Andre Ward. After the second consecutive defeat, there is practically no chance of this. By the way, and from a commercial point of view, the second fight is unlikely to be much more successful than the first. Ward earned $ 6.5 million, Kovalev even less. His fee depends on the sale of the rights to view the fight on the Internet (PPV). Ridiculous amounts against the backdrop of the upcoming fight between McGregor and Mayweather.

Let's hope that in spite of everything, the Russian athlete will draw the right conclusions from the defeat and return to the world boxing Olympus in the very near future.